Hotels in Brescia

Brescia is Lombardy's second city and its most overlooked: an industrial powerhouse, long tied to steel and gunmaking in the valleys to the north, that most visitors speed past on the way between Milan and Lake Garda. That is their loss, because the centre holds some of the best Roman and Lombard remains in northern Italy, including the Capitolium temple and the Santa Giulia monastery-museum, both part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Add the unusual pairing of the round Romanesque Duomo Vecchio beside its grander successor, the Venetian-style Piazza della Loggia, and the castle on Cidneo hill. Car enthusiasts know it as the start and finish of the Mille Miglia, and Franciacorta's sparkling wine country lies just west. Be honest: the outskirts are workaday and unlovely, and the city has less polish and nightlife than Verona or Bergamo, so it suits a base for Garda and Franciacorta rather than a long stay. Stay in the centro storico around Piazza della Loggia to walk to the sights and reach the station easily.